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Trailblazing trends of 2018

Be honest. How many times have you come across a new trend and sworn you'll never wear it, only to give in a couple of months later? Time does something funny to trends; it's like the longer we're exposed to it on the streets, on Instagram and in the shops, the more normal it seems.

Take skinny jeans, for example. They arrived in an era when bootleg jeans were reigning supreme and skinny jeans looked... well, a little weird. Fast-forward a few months and we'd forgotten all about our beloved bootleg.

With plenty of exciting new trends on the horizon, including some that you wouldn't dare to wear right now. Maybe they are too loud, too different, or too fashion-forward. But trust us, in a few months, these trends will seem completely normal. You might even wonder how your wardrobe ever functioned without them.

Maximalist

Wallflowers are not welcome in 2018. Everything around us is screaming "go big, or go home". Be inspired by the international runways like Gucci by clashing your prints, layering your colours and experimenting with textures. Too much? Start small with a silk scarf or pair of sunglasses before working your way up to maximalist status.

Scrunchies

Remember that scene in Sex & The City? Well, it turns out Carrie was wrong – scrunchies are well and truly back. They were spotted at the Balenciaga and Mansur Gavriel S/S18 shows and have now made their way to stores like Sportsgirl, Dotti and David Jones. Skip the pigtails and keep your scrunchie chic by wearing your hair in a loose, low pony.

Colour bomb

If wild prints aren't your thing, maybe colour is? It might be hard to imagine a colour explosion right now with all that black in your wardrobe, but soon you'll start noticing more bright shades everywhere –maybe even on yourself! A shoe is a great way to introduce more colour into your life, before you experiment with one piece of clothing or, dare we day, head-to-toe colour.

Animal print

Animal print is one of those trends we left behind in the '80s, but it's starting to make a resurgence as more and more brands make way for it in their collections. If you haven't already, you'll soon notice a lot of snake and leopard print getting ahead, especially in edgy fabrics like leather, cut in rock 'n' roll silhouettes like moto skirts and strapless dresses.